A Cinematographer and The Wizard of Oz
A cinematographer is a director of photography who oversees the production of a film. Harrold Rosson was a pioneer in making The Wizard of Oz, which is widely regarded as one of the best films ever produced. Harrold Rosson is credited with being one of the first teams to use Technicolor in a film. Dorothy, a young girl, is the protagonist of the film. A powerful tornado swept away their house, transporting her and her dog Toto to the strange Land of Oz. She set off on a journey to the Emerald City, where she meets a wealthy Wizard of Oz who is widely regarded as the only way to return home. She hopes the wizard will help her friends regain their lost brains, heart, and courage.
The Role of Lighting, Camera, and Composition
The cinematographer in this movie was able to use lighting, camera, and composition to perfect the production of The Wizard of Oz. There is a great connectedness between camera, lighting, and composition and how cinematographers work with their directors to bring out the story of a film.
Lighting Techniques in The Wizard of Oz
Harold Rosson and the Director of this film have used low key lighting, high key lighting, and traditional three-point lighting to express the theme. The three-point lighting was used to make a three-dimensional form that had soft shadows, and the back of the subject was lighted. The light was aimed at the back of the subject to generate a frame of light that detached it from the background. Three-point lightning was frequently used in the film The Wizard of Oz (Landau, P 238). An excellent example in the movie involves a scene showing characters in the movie in Kansas. The light source in the scene shows the elevation of the right side of the shot. The person on the right-hand side projected a shadow of his arm on the shirt of Aunty M. Another example where three-point lightning had been used in the film was well-known over the rainbow scene.
The choice for lighting used was the best for this stage because of how the cinematographer made Dorothy the primary focus of the scene by excluding her from the background. The viewers of this film are therefore able to connect with Dorothy. The audience joins Dorothy in imagining a magical place over the rainbow. Low key lighting was used in many scenes. These scenes involved the wizard and the wicked witch (Bould, P 12). The type of illumination had characteristics like by deep shadows, high contrast, and low levels of light. The lighting was used to make the audience have fear anytime the wicked witch was present. High key lighting used in the film had characteristics like few shadows, high levels of light, and high contrast (Jones, P 14). From the scene 'Dorothy lands in Munchkin land', the scene uses bright lighting which can be a source of happiness to the audience when Dorothy makes it into the magical land over the rainbow.
The Role of Camera and Composition
The Director and cinematographer of the film The Wizard of Oz had creatively used the camera to improve the production and understanding of the movie by the observers. The film starts when it does not have color pictures. The scenes in Kansas are all recorded with the absence of color to manifest the dark moments of Dorothy while in Kansas. 'The scene Dorothy entering Technicolor' is a memorable sequence in the film since it provides a visual proof that Toto and Dorothy were not in Kansas. The scene was also an ideal symbol of a reflective change like movies. A composition is also one of the key elements used by the cinematographer to make it interesting to the audience. The filmmaker can narrate a story through the help of composition. Lines make up one of the elements in composition since lines have been used by the cinematographer to guide the observer's eye when viewing a composition. Viewers can also be guided by the lines to control what they see by adding depth to an image.
Works Cited
Bould, Mark, Kathrina Glitre, and Greg Tuck. Neo-noir. London: Wallflower Press, 2009. Print. London; New York: Wallflower Press, cop. 2009
Jones, Alan-Bertaneisson. Fright Xmas. Place of publication not identified: Authorhouse, 2010. Print.: Authorhouse, 2010.
Landau, David. Lighting for Cinematography: A Practical Guide to the Art and Craft of Lighting for the Moving Image. New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2015. Print. New York; London [U.K.]: Bloomsbury Academic, 2016, ©2014
